The Largest Operation of its Kind: The Story of the 30-Tonne Whale Carcass Removal
Key Highlights :
Onlookers at Bridlington Beach, East Riding of Yorks., were left stunned when they stumbled upon a 17m long grounded fin whale. The 55ft mammal had been swimming along the coast in the North Sea before it got into trouble before grounding and tragically dying. Experts feared that the huge whale would have to be dissected in order to remove it from the popular beach. However, contractors were able to lift the giant mammal onto a trailer using JCB diggers to maneuver the carcass in a grueling eight-hour operation. The body was successfully removed at just after 4pm on Friday in an operation that the council have described as the 'largest of its kind'.
The fin whale is the second largest species of whale in the world, with some reported to measure up to 20m long. It is believed that the whale which was found on Bridlington Beach weighed around 30-tonnes. This made the task of removing the whale from the beach a mammoth task indeed. Fortunately, the council were able to enlist the help of contractors who had the necessary equipment and expertise to carry out the operation.
Photographer Steve Shipley captured the mammoth task while out walking along the beach. He said: "The whale was grounded on Bridlington Beach on Tuesday and died after grounding. Today it was removed from the beach on a low loader lorry. It took them eight hours to remove it from the beach before a journey to Sheffield. It was 17m long and around 30-tonnes."
The removal of the whale was a difficult and challenging task, but it was also an incredibly important one. Without the removal of the whale, the beach would have been left in an unsightly and potentially dangerous state. The council have praised the efforts of the contractors and have described the operation as the largest of its kind.
The death of the whale was a tragedy, and this incident serves as a reminder of the fragility of our marine ecosystems. It is important that we do all we can to protect our oceans and the creatures which inhabit them. We must also ensure that our beaches are kept clean and safe for all to enjoy. The removal of the whale from Bridlington Beach was an important step in this direction, and it is hoped that similar operations will be successful in the future.
